Casey Krell Assumes Position as President, Board Launches Fund in Honor of Retired President Shari Harrell
YOUNGSTOWN/WARREN, Ohio – The leadership transition taking place over the last few months at the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley is officially complete as Shari Harrell retired as president of the organization on March 1 and Casey Krell took over as her successor.
After more than ten years at the helm of the organization, Shari Harrell retired at the beginning of March. The board of directors of the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley announced Harrell’s retirement and the leadership transition in August of last year. Now, that transition is officially complete as Casey Krell has fully assumed the role of CFMV’s president and chief executive officer.
“Shari has been a strong and inspirational leader for our organization over the past decade and we are so grateful for everything she put into growing the foundation into what it is today,” says Krell, now the third president in the history of the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley. “We miss her already, but I am excited to take on this new role and keep CFMV moving forward for the benefit of the Valley and its residents.”
The organization celebrated Harrell’s service with a retirement party on March 15, where the board of directors also announced the launch of the Harrell Fund for the Community. This endowment was created to commemorate Harrell’s service and help perpetuate her legacy with the organization. As an unrestricted grantmaking fund, the Harrell Fund for the Community will be a flexible resource to proactively address needs and respond to opportunities.
“This new fund not only honors Shari as the second president of our organization but will build the foundation’s capacity for responding to needs and investing in solutions to our community’s most pressing issues, now and into the future,” says board chair Patricia Sweeney. “We hope supporters will consider making a gift, no matter the size, to help acknowledge Shari’s lifelong service to the Valley and build this resource for our community.”
Gifts to the Harrell Fund for the Community can be made online at cfmv.org/Harrell-fund or by sending a check to CFMV’s main office at 201 E. Commerce St., Suite #150, Youngstown, OH 44503. Contact staff at 330-743-5555 with questions about the fund or to discuss other ways to make a gift.
“We are proud to create this fund and help build it to invest back in the community that Shari served for so many years,” says Krell. “And we’ve got a great team here at the foundation working to make her proud as we keep moving forward in our mission to make the Mahoning Valley a better place for all residents.”
The Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley strives to be a leader and advocate for strategic philanthropy, partnering with donors to anchor a permanent and growing endowment and making investments in the Mahoning Valley that improve the quality of life for all residents. The Community Foundation is the only local foundation with certification from the Community Foundation National Standards Board.
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